netbox-netbox-netbox-device

name	netbox.netbox.netbox_device
description	Create, update or delete devices within NetBox Use when managing netbox device resources via API with Ansible.

netbox.netbox.netbox_device

Create, update or delete devices within NetBox

When to Use This Skill

Use the netbox.netbox.netbox_device Ansible module when you need to manage netbox device resources via API. This module runs on the control host (not over SSH) and communicates with an external API.

• Runs with connection: local -- no SSH to remote hosts
• Does not require become/sudo
• You need idempotent state management (ensure a desired state, not just run a command)
• You want audit trails and dry-run capability via --check

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Default	Description
data	dict	yes	-	Defines the device configuration
netbox_token	str	yes	-	The NetBox API token.
netbox_url	str	yes	-	The URL of the NetBox instance. Must be accessible by the Ansible control host.
cert	raw	no	-	Certificate path
headers	dict	no	-	Dictionary of headers to be passed to the NetBox API.
query_params	list	no	-	This can be used to override the specified values in ALLOWED_QUERY_PARAMS that are defined in plugins/module_utils/netbox_utils.py and provides control to users on what may make an object unique in their environment.
state	str	no	present	The state of the object.
validate_certs	raw	no	True	If C(no), SSL certificates will not be validated. This should only be used on personally controlled sites using a self-signed certificates.

Parameter Choices

• state: present, absent

Usage

Run this module using the ansible CLI (from ansible-core):

ansible localhost -m netbox.netbox.netbox_device -a "<key=value arguments>" -c local --check --diff

Quick Examples

# Dry-run first (always recommended for destructive operations)
ansible localhost -m netbox.netbox.netbox_device -a "data=<data> netbox_token=thisIsMyToken netbox_url=http://netbox.local" -c local --check --diff

# Apply the change
ansible localhost -m netbox.netbox.netbox_device -a "data=<data> netbox_token=thisIsMyToken netbox_url=http://netbox.local" -c local --diff

Examples from Ansible Documentation

- name: "Test NetBox modules"
  connection: local
  hosts: localhost
  gather_facts: false

  tasks:
    - name: Create device within NetBox with only required information
      netbox.netbox.netbox_device:
        netbox_url: http://netbox.local
        netbox_token: thisIsMyToken
        data:
          name: Test Device
          device_type: C9410R
          device_role: Core Switch
          site: Main
        state: present

    - name: Create device within NetBox with empty string name to generate UUID
      netbox.netbox.netbox_device:
        netbox_url: http://netbox.local
        netbox_token: thisIsMyToken
        data:
          name: ""
          device_type: C9410R
          device_role: Core Switch
          site: Main
        state: present

    - name: Delete device within netbox
      netbox.netbox.netbox_device:
        netbox_url: http://netbox.local
        netbox_token: thisIsMyToken
        data:
          name: Test Device
        state: absent

    - name: Create device with tags
      netbox.netbox.netbox_device:
        netbox_url: http://netbox.local
        netbox_token: thisIsMyToken
        data:
          name: Another Test Device
          device_type: C9410R
          device_role: Core Switch
          site: Main
          local_context_data:
            bgp: "65000"
          tags:
            - Schnozzberry
        state: present

    - name: Update the rack and position of an existing device
      netbox.netbox.netbox_device:
        netbox_url: http://netbox.local
        netbox_token: thisIsMyToken
        data:
          name: Test Device
          rack: Test Rack
          position: 10.5
          face: Front
        state: present

Key Flags

Flag	Purpose
--check	Dry-run mode -- shows what would change without applying
--diff	Shows detailed before/after differences
-i <path>	Specify inventory file (see Inventory section below)
-l <pattern>	Limit to specific hosts within a group
-c local	Use local connection (no SSH)

JSON Output

To get structured JSON output for programmatic parsing:

ANSIBLE_STDOUT_CALLBACK=json ansible localhost -m netbox.netbox.netbox_device -a "<args>" -c local

Or set stdout_callback = json in your ansible.cfg.

Safety

• Always dry-run first: Use --check --diff before applying destructive changes
• API credentials: This module communicates with an external API. Keep tokens and URLs out of version control -- use environment variables or Ansible vault.
• Idempotency: This module is idempotent -- running it multiple times with the same arguments produces the same result

Inventory

When using this module from a different location than the project root:

• Specify inventory explicitly: -i /path/to/inventory.yml
• Set environment variable: export ANSIBLE_INVENTORY=/path/to/inventory.yml
• Use Ansible's default: /etc/ansible/hosts
• Target a single host directly: ansible <hostname>, -m netbox.netbox.netbox_device -a "..." (note the trailing comma)